Soarin and The Belles
by SPB
Summary: (Originally published on FiMFiction. A sequel to "Rarity The Wonderbolt", takes place after "Marks and Recreation".) The time has come for Rarity to introduce Soarin as her special somepony to her family, including her parents and little sister. But why is Rarity so nervous about that?


Soarin touched down lightly on the ground in front of Carousel Boutique, he was glad to have gotten some time off now that Thunderlane was a Wonderbolt. To the co-captain, it had seemed like forever since he'd last been allowed to be away from the team for any significant period of time.

Immediately, Soarin's thoughts turned to Rarity. They'd been together for about three years now, and their relationship had mostly been long distance. It was only recently that they'd made a commitment towards "going steady" as Rarity had put it. " _Come to think of it, there's still a lot we don't know about each other. We've never talked about family before, aside from the occasions where she mentions her little sister._ " He mentally realized, but didn't dwell on the thought as he knocked on the front door of Carousel Boutique.

"Coming," Rarity called in a sing-song tone. The door swung open a moment later, and Rarity immediately pulled Soarin into a passionate hug. "Oh, it always warms my heart to see you, Soarin." She happily greeted, upon ending the hug.

Soarin smiled, and tried to keep his cheeks from turning red. "It does the same to me, Rarity. I figured that since Spitfire's letting me have the rest of the week off: 'What better way to spend your time, then to be with the mare you love even more than you love pie?'"

Rarity giggled lightly. It was no secret that Soarin had a craving for pies, largely due to his big appetite (which he worked up from all those shows he was a part of). But her happy giggle didn't last long, before she sighed and her shoulders sagged a bit.

Soarin knew immediately that when Rarity sighed like that, something was not right. It was one of the many nonverbal cues he'd picked up from his time with his mare friend. "What's wrong?" He innocently asked her. "One of your boutiques not doing well at the moment? I'm sure I could pull some strings and arrange a charity performance in whatever city is needed."

Rarity shook her head, and lit up her horn as she produced an envelope. "Probably better to read it to you, than to show you," Clearing her throat and opening the envelope, the fashionista spoke at length. "Dear Rarity, how are you? I know you must be very busy, what with you running three successful boutiques and all. But we were hoping you'd still be available this weekend, it's been a long time since we've had a chance to just talk. Hope to hear from you soon. Your loving mother and father: Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks."

"Oh, is that it?" Soarin remarked to Rarity. "I don't see what's so wrong. In fact, this works out nicely. This is the perfect opportunity for me to meet your parents and get to know them. Assuming you haven't already told them about me."

"Oh no, I haven't! And you can't meet them, not now!" Rarity insisted! "In fact, forget I said anything!" She was quick to toss the envelope and the letter aside!

Soarin just raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Rarity. I've been longing for the chance to meet your parents since we started dating. I don't see what's so wrong about utilizing this weekend to get to know them. You're not at all estranged from your parents, are you? If you are, it's okay, you don't have to tell me why."

Rarity shook her head again. "I don't have any problems with my parents, Soarin. They're nice ponies, really. I just... don't want to risk the embarrassment."

"Embarrassment? Are you sure you're not exaggerating just a little bit?" Soarin inquired of Rarity. "They can't possibly be any more embarrassing than Rainbow Dash's parents, and I should know, I've seen a lot of embarrassing parents in my time. Heck, Spitfire's mom used to really embarrass her a lot when she was young. I've got stories I could tell, but if Spitfire asks you heard nothing from me."

"While I've never had the privilege of meeting Rainbow Dash's parents, I am certain my parents are none the less embarrassing," Rarity coughed (though a part of her _was_ curious about Soarin's stories). "Besides, I was hoping to kind of... ease them into the revelation a little. I haven't even told them we were dating, as far as they know I'm still searching for my 'prince charming'."

"Oh, and you think I can't pass for that?" Soarin slightly scoffed, puffing out his chest in exaggeration. "I mean, not that I like to brag or anything, but I _do_ like to consider myself a rather fine stallion. Heck, my title alone probably makes me a prince in their eyes."

Rarity found it hard not to laugh at Soarin's comments and expression. Leave it to him to know how to make her smile, in a way that only he could do. " _Oh Soarin, you never cease to cheer me up with your positive attitude, and sense of humor._ " Rarity thought to herself, as she slowly regained her composure. "Hm, I suppose you make a valid point there, Soarin. All the same, I'm still not one hundred percent certain it's in your best interests to meet my parents this weekend. Heck, not even Sweetie Belle knows you're my special somepony yet, and she can get a tad... 'possessive' for lack of a better term." Rarity added with noticeable concern in her tone of voice.

"Hey, I've met your sister before. I told you about it on our first date, remember?" Soarin spoke up. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind the fact that we're dating. In fact, she could probably put a good word with your parents for me."

"Well, I _was_ hoping to break the news to them myself," Rarity replied with uncertainty. "I wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea on top of embarrassing me, as I'm sure they're going to."

"If you're really so worried about that, why not write to your parents and make that a condition for your visit? I'm sure they listen to you," Soarin suggested. "You don't have to tell them about me if you don't want to though, that could just be our secret to reveal when I meet your parents face to face."

"You know... I hadn't actually thought of that," Rarity realized, as she put a hoof to her chin to ponder the idea. She thought about it for a good moment, before she made up her mind. "Very well, it's at least worth a shot. Now, that just leaves the matter of breaking the news to Sweetie Belle."

* * *

As if she had overheard the entire conversation, Sweetie Belle came trotting into Carousel Boutique at that very moment, saddle bags in tow. "Hey, Rarity," She cheerfully greeted, setting her bags carefully down on the floor. "Just wanted to stop by and drop off my heavy saddle bags really quick, don't wanna be late for the Crusaders meeting. We're going to discuss the possibility of running the day camp again next Summer."

"Always warms my heart to see you and your friends helping others with their cutie mark problems," Rarity smiled, stroking her sister's mane with a hoof. "I dare say, your knack for business rivals my boutiques."

"What can I say, you're a very inspiring role model," Sweetie Belle smiled back, briefly hugging Rarity. When she ended the hug a second later, the filly noticed a familiar very pale, cornflower blue coated, pegasus stallion. "Hey, Soarin, surprised to see you away from The Wonderbolts. You here to pick up an order for Rainbow Dash, so she doesn't have to set hoof in the boutique? Don't worry, I won't tell a soul, Crusaders honor."

Soarin chuckled, as he approached Sweetie Belle with a bright smile. "Well, you don't have to worry about Rainbow Dash, because I'm not here for anypony's dress order," He joked. Then he cleared his throat and as he looked into the filly's eyes he told her. "I'm here for Rarity."

"What for?" Sweetie wondered, before she quickly put two and two together. "Wait a minute, are you two..."

Soarin nodded. "Yup, we're dating. In fact, I've been your sister's special somepony for years. We just haven't really had much time to be together, given how busy our lives are and everything. It wasn't until a month ago that we decided we wanted to try our luck at going steady."

"I see," Sweetie innocently commented. "Well, that's sweet. I'm actually kind of surprised, I didn't peg you as the kind of 'prince charming' my sister was looking for," The filly was quick to add. "No offense, Mr. Soarin."

"Hey, none taken. Besides, if there's anything you should've picked up from your sister's line of work, it's that it's what on the inside that counts," Soarin replied to Sweetie's comment. "Beauty's more than just fur deep after all."

"Do Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane know about this, or have you been keeping it a secret from them too?" Sweetie quickly asked, though her tone of voice indicated it wasn't out of anger but rather curiosity.

Soarin laughed heartily as he confessed. "All the Wonderbolts know about it. Kind of hard to keep it a secret when she keeps showing up on Academy grounds, or at shows to cheer me on. She even gets V.I.P perks."

"Aw man, so I'm the _only_ pony who's been left out of the loop?!" Sweetie complained, stomping her hooves a bit. A faint hint of jealousy seemed to be noticeable in her tone of voice.

"I sincerely apologize, Sweetie Belle," Rarity spoke up, hoping to calm her sister down. "I really should've told you sooner. But between making an effort to be there for Soarin at shows and events, running the boutiques with help from Sassy and Coco, and all the other things I've had to juggle in my life, telling you about my romantic partner sort of fell on the back burner. It was never my intention to wait until we were going steady to tell you," Something of a light bulb went off inside the fashionista's mind, as she then offered. "Tell you what, Sweetie Belle? How about I take you out for ice cream later on as my apology treat? Will that make you feel better?"

"You bet, I **LOVE** ice cream!" Sweetie happily exclaimed, as a few sparks shot out from her horn!

Rarity sighed in relief, that was one potential crisis averted. "Good, ice cream it shall be," Then she added. "Oh, and before I forget something _else_ of importance, Mother and Father will be home this weekend, and they'd like to see me. I'm pretty sure they'd enjoy seeing you again too, it _has_ been a while since you were last with them."

"I can't wait to hear about their vacation!" Sweetie eagerly grinned. As she looked at Soarin (who was now standing next to Rarity), she asked. "Are you gonna take Soarin with you and show him off?"

"Well, yes and no," Rarity answered. "I'm actually going to take advantage of the opportunity presented and officially introduce him as my special somepony. I'm fairly certain they'll approve, even if he's not perhaps what they were expecting given my somewhat fantasy filled expectations. As a matter of fact, I was just about to mail my reply to their letter, letting them know to expect me."

"Great! This weekend is gonna be so amazing! I just hope I can make it tomorrow, those cutie mark problems don't always wait til I'm available!" Sweetie all but shrieked! "And Soarin, just wait til' Mom and Dad meet you! They're gonna be so impressed! Heck, Scootaloo is gonna be so jealous when I tell her you and my sister are dating!" And with that goal in mind, the filly zipped out the door without another word.

Rarity just smiled. "That's my sister for you, so full of energy and so cheerful. Small wonder her first name is Sweetie, Now, to start work on that reply to Mother and Father's most generous invitation."

* * *

The weekend came sooner than Rarity would've liked, and although some of her initial concerns had been soothed a little, she was still very anxious. "What if Mother and Father don't approve of you, Soarin?" She wondered out loud, as the two lovers trotted along the path leading to the humble two story house near the town windmill. "Or what if they're concerned about the fact that we've been dating on and off for years, and haven't been going steady until just weeks ago?"

"Rarity, I thought we moved on from these worries already," Soarin lightly shushed his marefriend. "If they're your parents, they shouldn't worry about small details like that. All they should be worried about is if you're happy with me, and if I'm a good fit for you, which I know I am. Besides, you saw how easily Sweetie Belle accepted me, why should your parents be any different?"

"Sweetie Belle already met you, Soarin. Mother and Father never have. In fact, I don't know if they even know you're a Wonderbolt, let alone their co-captain." Rarity nervously commented.

"If they've been on vacation as often as you say they have, I'm sure they've been to a Wonderbolts show or two. We perform all over Equestria, even sometimes beyond," Soarin proudly exclaimed. "One of the best perks about being a Wonderbolt, is getting to see exciting new locations and make new fans wherever you go!"

"I just hope that won't be a subject of concern for Mother and Father. Speaking of which, there they are now," Rarity replied, as she pointed a hoof towards two relatively young looking ponies. On the left was a somewhat bulky, light gray coated unicorn stallion, wearing a straw hat. He had a dark grayish brown mane and tail cut short, as well as a small mustache, and a dark blue polo shirt with white sleeves and flowers, though his cutie mark of three hoofballs was still visible, as well as brilliant cerulean eyes. And standing beside the stallion, was a unicorn mare who seemed of relatively similar size and height. She had a pale fuchsia coat, a grayish indigo and grayish persian blue mane and tail which had grown long, as well as eyes the same color as her husband, but of a slightly lighter shade. She sported yellow, round earrings, a matching yellow scarf, and a red shirt with white sleeves, which did not conceal her cutie mark of three cookies. "Soarin, meet Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles Belle, my parents. Father, Mother, this is Soarin..."

"-The Wonderbolts Co-Captain?" Hondo interrupted, taking off his straw hat and bowing. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, Mr. Soarin."

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Cookie asked, bowing beside her husband.

Soarin laughed and played it off. "There's no need for formalities, and you don't have to bow to me, I'm not royalty. I'm here because your daughter invited me, and I'm not one to decline an invitation from such a generous mare."

"That's our daughter for you," Cookie boasted with a smile. "I taught her all the tools of the trade, even if I'm more of a baker myself. I must say, both my daughters have improved a lot as cooks since my first lessons with them, I remember Sweetie Belle especially used to burn stuff all the time."

"And yet it still tasted good for some reason," Hondo chuckled, putting his straw hat back on his head (which had the effect of covering up to his horn and to the untrained eye making him look like an earth pony). "I take it you're here because you're dating our other daughter, right, Soarin?"

Rarity spoke up before Soarin had a chance to respond. "Well, I _was_ hoping to save the reveal until we were all seated and comfortable. But yes, Soarin is indeed my special somepony. In fact, he's been that way for years now." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek just a second later.

"Well, would you two love birds like to come inside? I made my special homemade cookies, and it would be a shame for them to go to waste. Especially since Sweetie Belle's going to be a bit late, emergency Crusader business, she told me" Cookie offered, gesturing to the front door of the house.

"And Soarin, I was hoping you might be interested in a friendly game of hoofball," Hondo added. "I've got some new techniques I've been dying to try out. And not that I mean to brag, but they don't call me Hondo _Flanks_ for nothing."

Soarin nodded in response to both offers, and trotted along with a broad smile on his face. "I'd be more than happy to do both, Mr. and Mrs. Belle," As he followed the two inside (with Rarity following close behind) he whispered to his marefriend. "Your parents seem pretty nice so far, Rarity. I don't think they mind all that much that we're dating."

"Well, we'll just have to see if they change their tune once they have all the facts. And hopefully, they won't." Rarity whispered back. She didn't think bad of her parents, but from what she could remember from her time living with them, they _did_ occasionally get that overprotective tendency.

* * *

Rarity and Cookie sat on a couch in the living room, watching from a window as Soarin and Hondo tussled with the hoofball in the backyard. Both had opted for a "No flying, no magic" rule, so as to give each other a sporting chance.

"That's my Hondo!" Cookie cheered, as Hondo effortlessly outflanked Soarin and tackled the stallion to the ground, causing the ball to slip from his hooves. Rarity just watched silently, while occasionally helping herself to one of the fresh cookies on the plate.

"And _that_ is how I got my middle name of Flanks, and my cutie mark!" Hondo boasted to Soarin. "I may not be much of a runner, but when you've got possession of the ball, nothing in Equestria can stop me from stopping you. Back in my prime, everypony always dreaded having to go up against me on defense. These days though, I'm more of a coach for a hire, when I'm not busy fishing."

Soarin groaned as he picked himself up, and dusted himself off. "Now I know how Rainbow Dash must feel after one of her crash landings," To Hondo he then said. "I'll give you credit, you hit pretty darn hard. And I gotta say, your wife's cookies are second to none!"

"Well, don't let her cutie mark fool you," Hondo laughed, looking towards the window to see his supporting wife. "You don't think Rarity's the only pony in this family who's magic with a needle, do you? She had to learn her skill from somewhere, and my darling Cookie is a fine seamstress. It's not professional quality, but for emergency rips and tears, her patchwork gets the job done just fine."

Now it was Soarin's turn to laugh, as the two stallions came back into the house from outside. "Did I tell you about how I first fell in love with your daughter? It was actually because she patched up my flight suit for me after I'd accidentally ripped it. The alternative was a huge bill from our official team tailor. To this day, I still prefer her for last minute repairs, especially when I'm on a budget." He said with a wink.

"This here hat was actually Rarity's first creation," Hondo smiled, recalling the occasion. "She wasn't old enough to where we felt comfortable letting her work with needle and thread, so we just gave her some straw and let her be creative. Imagine the surprise of my wife and I, when we found out she'd managed to assemble this fine straw hat with just her hooves and a little horn work. She gladly let me have it, an early Father's Day present. I've almost never been without it since."

"And don't forget about these matching shirts, dear," Cookie added, putting a hoof around her husband as he sat down beside her on the couch (Soarin sat beside Rarity). "They were the first dresses she made after she opened Carousel Boutique, all with the money she'd been saving up from years of doing chores and working at _Sugarcube Corner_ , _Barnyard Bargains_ , and any other place that'd hire her at her young age. We've never been more proud of her than we were on that day, I can tell you that. In fact, we even have a commemorative photo in the family album, alongside Rarity and Sweetie Belle's baby pictures of course."

"Mother! Please, for the love of Celestia, don't you _dare_ show Soarin those in my presence!" Rarity blushed in embarrassment. "There are things there I'd rather be kept private, thank you very much."

Cookie tried her hardest not to laugh. "Why, Rarity, what would ever make you think we'd do that in front of your stallion friend?"

"Because intentionally or not, you and Father _always_ end up embarrassing me," Rarity lightly remarked. "I appreciate that you love me so much, but more often than not, you overdo it on the affection. That's part of the reason why I wasn't sure how best to tell you that Soarin and I have only recently started going steady."

"Oh, is that so?" Hondo asked Rarity, who nodded in confirmation. "Well, I don't see what the big deal is. You two seem happy enough with such a relationship. I was just about to ask how you made it work with you and Soarin being so busy with your professional careers and everything."

"So then, you don't mind, not even a little?" Rarity asked, hopefully.

"Of course not, Rarity," Hondo smiled, ruffling his daughter's mane with a hoof in playful affection. "Soarin's a nice guy, and a wonderful stallion. As long as he makes you happy, and he's happy being with you, your mother and I don't have a problem with him."

"We're actually relieved you've found a romantic partner like him, not that we would've bothered if you were dating someone else," Cookie added. "Given your at times "fantasy" driven standards, we were worried that it might take you years, even decades, before you stopped looking for your ideal "prince charming"."

"Well, as you can see, that's no longer the case," Rarity replied, hugging both her parents tightly. "I'm glad you approve, and that you've managed to hit it off so well with Soarin."

Hondo laughed as he then said. "We sure did. Just don't move too fast now, love birds. Cookie and I aren't quite ready for grandfoals yet."

"And you know we'll spoil 'em rotten, because that's just the sort of grandparents we're going to be." Cookie teased.

"Father! Mother!" Rarity whined in a somewhat overly dramatic tone. "Soarin and I aren't even married yet!"

"Yeah," Soarin blushed. "It's a little early to be thinking about starting a family. That's a threshold we wanna cross when we're darn good and ready, and I don't think we're going to be ready for a long time."

"Only kidding, though I'm sure you two would make fine parents." Cookie said with a wink.

"In any case," Hondo commented, slowly regaining his composure (and wiping a tear from his eye). "It's always nice to see young love, reminds me a lot of my own experiences with Cookie back when we were your age. And take it from somepony who's been down that road, don't try to rush headlong into marriage or a family. Take your time and enjoy your time together. After all, you're only young once."

"Well, there _are_ age spells," Rarity chimed in, clearing her throat. "Not that I'd ever use them. Celestia knows I have my hooves full as it is just dealing with Sweetie Belle and her friends." And that got everyone in the room laughing. All in all, Rarity had to say, she couldn't have hoped for things to go any smoother. She just hoped Sweetie Belle would show up before long, because her little sister was **REALLY** missing out.


End file.
